Sociologist

Conduct research to find out how people behave in varying social groups.

What does a Sociologist do?

Sociologists study groups of people. By examining the diverse behavior of subcultures as small as after-school clubs and as large as entire countries, a Sociologist can yield a positive impact on youths, families, and communities.

As a Sociologist, you delve into the fascinating world of human psychology, learning how people behave in groups. There’s hardly a more interesting creature to study than our own species. While visiting a closely knit tribe in a remote jungle, you may discover that hunting groups are formed in the same way eighth-graders pick dodgeball teams. As you form these types of connections, you’re not only discovering new information, but you’re also serving to unite previously unrelated groups of people through the common link of being human.

While doing your research, you’re methodical and organized. You start by scanning books for information on your subject, eventually moving to interviewing professionals, even conducting experiments or case studies. You always keep the scientific method in mind, creating hypotheses and testing them.

You enjoy sharing your experiences with others, and may find that settling in at a university is the perfect opportunity for you to continue your work and pass on your findings to blossoming students of the social sciences. Of course, your workspace is certainly not limited to a classroom.

You can influence at-risk youth in a counseling office, conduct controlled experiments on willing groups of test subjects in a lab, or travel to distant countries to foster a connection with a unique tribe. The entire globe can be your workplace, as wherever there are groups of people, there are new and exciting things to learn about the human race.